Wicked! in America
by abiholmes97
Summary: Abigail Holmes' sister in law gets a part in the company of Wicked! on Broadway. Abi and her family go out to support her and someone ends up getting married. Part of my Abigail Holmes universe. Sequel to The First Year. Copyright to Moffatt and Gatiss and ACD
1. What is this feeling?

**Chapter One- What is this feeling?**

Keira Holmes was a bright, talented young girl. She was an aspiring actress on stage in London and was in a steady relationship with a Matthew Swan. It's safe to say, that she was as happy as it was possible to be. That is until one summer a few years ago.

Keira and Matthew had both got role's in Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Keira was Juliet and Matthew happened to be Romeo. They enjoyed the roles and didn't expect anything to come out of them. But as they say, expect the unexpected. Keira's life was about to be changed in the most unexpected way and the most magical way she could ever have dreamt of.

I remember it well. It was a sunny July afternoon. Anthony was eight months old and I had just put him to sleep in the nursery, Dan was at work, so I was lying on the grass, relaxing in the sun, taking advantage of the quiet and the calm. Then my phone began to ring. I saw that it was Keira, so I picked up the phone and answered it.

 _Hey Abi, it's Keira._

"Hey. What's up? Shouldn't you be in uni?"

 _I've just been given a job by my agent…_

"That's fantastic, Keira!" I said, sitting up, "What's it for?"

 _I've been given a part in the company of Wicked!"_

"Oh, I love that musical!"

 _It's in America…"_

I paused for a minute. "America?"

 _Yeah, the company on Broadway. I'll have to live out there and everything._

She sounded worried. "Is Matthew going with you?" I asked.

 _He doesn't know._ She paused, _You're the first person I've told._

"You should tell him. He'd want to know."

 _I thought you might know what I should do. You've taken a year out of university to have a child. I thought you could tell me what I should do about uni."_

I smiled. "Keira. I'm not going to tell you to do anything. You should tell Matthew and then make your own decision. It's your life. Your career. I will tell you that this is a big opportunity for you and I will support any decision you make, so will Dan."

 _Thanks Abi. I'll get back to you._

And she hung up.

The next I heard from her was when she told everyone that she was going to America for a year to do the musical. Matthew was standing by her and would be going to. He would look for jobs around New York but his most important job was to support Keira. She was so excited by so very nervous at the same time. She had planned to go to New York in August to look at apartments and to do some basic rehearsals. It was around the time of our family holiday so we all went over with her.

The whole time we were in New York, Keira glowed. She was a natural on stage and was made for musical theatre. She would come home in the evenings and sing songs from the musical that she had been learning during the week. Mycroft got so emotional during her rendition of 'Defying Gravity' that he had to leave the room. Maybe he wasn't so much of an Iceman after all.

The next year went by so quickly. Keira was rehearsing all the time she got. Anthony turned two and all too soon, it was time to say goodbye to Keira and Matthew. They wanted to be in New York for Christmas as she started in the New Year. We all went to the airport to wave them off. Mollie was unusually subdued. I think the thought of her sister, her best friend going away for a whole year to the other side of the world was something she wasn't looking forward to. She was happy for her of course but she just wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet. I went and sat next to her while we were having coffee. (Keira was busy spending time with her nephew).

"Hey Mollie." I said, sitting next to her.

"Hey."

"She's going to be alright, you know."

She nodded, "I know. I'm just going to miss her."

I smiled. "I'm going to miss her too. We all are."

"I'm so proud of her. I think mum would be too." She said.

I looked at Mollie. "I shouldn't tell you this but you need cheering up."

She looked at me, curiously.

"Mycroft's talking about buying us all tickets to go and see her later this year. He's planning his wedding around it, as you know, but he's getting us all tickets to go over and see her!"

Mollie's eyes lit up, "You mean it!"

I nodded.

"Oh, Abi!" she said, hugging me tightly. "Thank you for telling me!"

I hugged her back. "No worries, Mollie!"

Dan was talking in a hushed voice with Mycroft. I walked over to them.

"Hey. You ok?" I asked Dan, placing my hand on his upper arm, softly.

He looked at me and smiled, "Yeah, I'm doing ok."

I smiled. "Good. Mollie's not too great. Mike…"

"Mycroft."

I ignored him, "Mike, could you go and talk to her. She could use her dad right now."

He nodded, curtly.

"I just can't believe she's going to America. She's only nineteen."

"She'll be 20 in February!" I smiled. "You were a parent at 20."

"I know. She'll be alright, won't she?" he asked, looking at me.

"She'll be amazing. And you know she will. Broadway won't know what hit them!"

Dan smiled and laughed a little. I looked at my watch. "It's almost time." I remarked. Keira had noticed this and brought Anthony over.

"Right. This is it." She said, handing me my son.

"Take care, Keira." I said, hugging her tightly. "I'm so proud of you, more than you'll ever know…" I said, choking up.

"I know." She replied, smiling. "I'm going to be fine."

"You look after her, Matthew Swan!" I told him, sternly, smiling though.

He mock saluted me. "Yes ma'am!" and we hugged,

Keira made her way around everyone there. She reached Dan before Mollie. Brother and sister looked at each other and smiled. Then hugged. As they pulled apart, Dan looked at his little sister. "I wish you all the best. I hope you'll be happy and promise me you'll text and call and let me know how you're doing?"

Keira smiled, fighting to keep the tears back. "I promise. I love you, big brother!"

"I love you, little sister!" and they had one last hug.

Then Keira reached Mollie at last. The two sisters looked at each other, both fighting back tears. And then they embraced each other tightly.

"This isn't for long." Keira said into Mollie's shoulder.

"I know." Replied Keira.

"I'll be back before you know it!"

"I know."

They pulled apart. Mollie took a steadying breath. "You deserve this, K, more than anyone I know. You'll be amazing, so amazing. Look after yourself but have fun too! I'll be seeing you before you know it!"

Keira smiled. "I love you so much!" she sniffed.

"I love you too. So very much!" and they hugged again.

"Keira, we've got a plane to catch!" said Matthew. Keira smiled, kissed him on the cheek and looked at us all.

"See you soon!" she said, smiling. "Dad, don't start World War Three, Greg, look after Dad. Sherlock, look after that beautiful baby of yours. Dan and Abi, thank you so much for everything. Mollie, stay you."

And they were off. Off on a whole new adventure. Off to start their lives. Off to be amazing.

What is this feeling?

Joy!


	2. Popular

**Chapter Two- Popular**

It had been 6 months since Matthew and Keira had left. Life had slowly gotten back to normal and we had almost adjusted to life without the two of them. I was back in university, Dan was busy working, Dad had new cases and Molly was dealing with a 6-year-old and a 6 month old! Mollie was coming to the end of her final year doing fine art and photography and was already starting to get some high profile jobs. Like I said, life was getting back to normal.

One day, after a particularly gruelling morning shift at work, I got a text off of Greg Lestrade.

'Wedding date set for 17 July. Heading out to see K and M from 30 June. People coming are you, Anthony, Molly Sherlock, H, Chris, me, Phoebe and Rory, Mollie, James, Sally, Sam and kids, Emily, Johnny and Elijah, Wanda and Timothy, John, Mary, Amber and Joe. Pass this around to who you see. Mike and Dan will already be out there on work related stuff.  
GL x'

So I sent out mass emails to everyone on that list. I was assuming Mike and Greg were covering the costs and I offered Wanda and Timothy a lift to the airport. I also FaceTime mum, dad, Jackie and Michael to let them know what we were doing and how long I would be gone for. I offered them the chance to come down for a couple of days but they were busy with the end of term palarva with schools.

Dan left for America with Mycroft on the 21st of June. Anthony and I waved him goodbye from the doorstep. We began to pack for the trip, I had a bag for Dan and I and one for Anthony. We had a small bag each for the plane, that was full of spare clothes and toys for Anthony and books etc. for me. Then, the morning of the 30th June arrived. I woke early and got Anthony up, knowing that I had to drive to Sittingbourne before heading to Gatwick. I had arranged with Wanda that we would pick them up from theirs at around nine in the morning. We had to leave ours by ten to eight at the latest. It was easier to put Anthony in the car in his pyjamas and see if one of his grandparents would feed him in the car. Luckily, it would only take us forty minutes to get from Wanda and Timothy's to the airport. The plan was to meet everyone there at 10. Our flight wasn't until 3 in the afternoon, but with the number of people going and the number of children, we felt it was easier. Poor Greg was managing a three-year-old and a ten-year-old and his arm still wasn't properly ok.

We made it to Sittingbourne in plenty of time and Wanda agreed to sit in the back and feed her great-grandson. I gave her a banana and a yoghurt. It wasn't brilliant but it would tide him over until we ate at the airport or on the plane. We were the first at the airport which was great as it gave me a chance to get Anthony dressed.

"Sorry, Wanda!" I said, as I got his clothes out on the backseat of the car. "I'm not that prepared this morning. It's harder when it's just me."

Wanda smiled, "That's ok, pet."

"Was Sherlock difficult with Mycroft?" I asked.

"Well, there was seven years between Mycroft. I had been quite poorly with Mycroft in labour and in those days it was easier to tell someone not to have more children than to list all the risks. What was difficult was the age gap between Sherlock and his sister."

I looked at her, halfway between putting Anthony into his dungerees. "Sherlock doesn't have a sister." I said.

"He did." Timothy said, sadly, as I brought Anthony out of the car and put him down, telling him to stand there. He continued as I brought the bags from the backseat. "Eurus. She a year younger than Sherlock."

"He's never told me about her." I said, shutting the car door and opening the boot.

"She died when he was 7. He probably doesn't talk about her because it's too painful."

"I'm sorry, guys, I didn't know." I said, touching Wanda's arm as I closed the boot.

"Why should you, love, it was years ago." She smiled kindly. "Now, you look like you need a hand, dear."

I smiled at her. So Sherlock had a sister and he wasn't the youngest out of Mike and Sherlock. Interesting. What I would do with this knowledge, I didn't know. Should I talk to Sherlock? Would he even remember? Should I tell Dan?

We made our way into the check-in lounge at the airport and found a row of chairs that we could sit on. Anthony wanted to wander round so Timothy offered to walk with him. It was so sweet to see the elder man walking hand-in-hand round Gatwick airport with his great-grandson. I managed to get a good shot of them walking away from us to show Dan.

Everyone started showing not long after that. Greg text me and asked me if I could give him a hand. I told Wanda but by that point Sally, Emily, Johnny and Sam had shown up so I wasn't worried about Anthony. I think by that point Anthony was running around with Elijah and Claire. Toby was asleep in his father's arms, totally not fussed about the noise his elder sister or cousins were making. I helped Greg up to the lounge with Phoebe holding my hand and Rory holding his Dad's. Sherlock and John with their rabbles had shown up in the time that we had arrived it was now chaos. Mollie and James were the last to arrive. Once we were all present we made our way through check in. The plan was to meet up in duty free. That way we could all get through security without causing too much of a problem for the other people at the airport. I took Anthony through and I was followed by Mollie and James. We the stuck together through security as there were four of us. Anthony got worried about the metal detector so James showed him how to do it, whilst Mollie and I watched on, laughing silently. But it worked. Anthony followed James through, followed by Mollie and myself. We had no problems and Anthony grabbed his 'Avengers' backpack from the tray and walked through to duty free, holding onto James' hand.

We met up with everyone in duty free and decided what we were going to do for the next four hours we had. The parents all recognised that the kids would need feeding before we got on the plane, given that we wouldn't be in New York until at least 11 pm. Amber, Phoebe, Hamish and Claire all wanted to go to McDonalds and after a bit of discussion, we all agreed that was fine. Wanda and Timothy went and had something to eat in the Wetherspoons next to McDonalds, which was totally fine. Luckily, the kids zone wasn't too far from where we ate and we all went and sat in there. They were able to watch TV and play games and just have fun. This was good given that they were all about to spend eight hours on a plane. The good news was we would be flying first class so everyone would have their own space and the younger kids could sleep if needs be.

Finally, it was time to board the plane and fly to America. Anthony was in the compartment next to mine so I could keep an eye on him. Mycroft had been very through with the seating arrangements. We were all together and there was hardly anyone else with us. Phoebe was next to Anthony and Rory was in front of Lestrade. Sherlock, John, Molly and Mary were behind us, Wanda, Timothy, James and Mollie were in front of us and Sally, Johnny, Emily, Sam and their families were all around. Taking off was fine, Anthony wasn't really fussed. He was happy when he was able to take his seatbelt off and wander around though. I settled down in my seat and watched him walking around everyone, talking to them and generally being good. He then walked to Sherlock and climbed into his lap looking at him. Sherlock looked at me puzzled. I shrugged, but got out my phone just in case there was going to be a cute moment.

"Grandad Sherlock," Anthony said, pulling on his suit.

"Yes?" said Sherlock, warily.

"I love you." Anthony said, bluntly.

Sherlock's mouth moved, but no sound came out.

"I love you, so very, very much."

My heart was melting. This is the first time I had known Anthony tell Sherlock that he loved him and clearly it was because Sherlock looked to be on the verge of tears. He smiled at his grandson.

"I love you too, Anthony." And he ruffled his hair, affectionately.

The rest of the flight past smoothly. The kids fell asleep around 8 in the evening. Anthony was curled up next to me so I sat and watched films for the rest of the flight, just feeling him breathing next to me. It was so nice just to spend a few hours with him, even though he was asleep, and just remember that he was mine.

We landed in New York when it was 6pm their time but would have been 11pm back home. Needless to say, the kids were all very tired and confused by the time difference. Dan and Mycroft were there to meet us at the airport, the older kids walking slowly but the younger one being carried by some of the adults. Timothy and Wanda had taken my suitcases as well as theirs and I had Rory on one arm and Anthony on the other. Dan smiled when he saw me.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Hey." And I kissed him quickly. He took Anthony off me and carried him out to the cars. We all headed to the Hotel that Mycroft had reserved for us and, well, we all slept soundly, exhausted from our journey.

Kiera was definitely popular…


	3. Defying Gravity

**Chapter Three- Defying Gravity**

Being in New York was amazing. Obviously we had been before but this time it felt different. We were here to see our Kiera doing what she loved best. Matthew played host and showed us round. He took us to all the best sites and showed us the best places to eat. We checked out the venue that Mycroft had picked out where they were going to get married. It was a hall out in the suburbs of New York. Mycroft could have literally hired anywhere but he knew that Greg was a quiet individual, personal so he had adhered to that. Mycroft was becoming a better person, he was easier to get on with and he was beginning to see that he wasn't the centre of the universe, that his actions towards others had consequences.

The beginning of our time in New York had been relatively quiet. Most of us were just spending time at the hotel. There was a pool were the kids loved to spend a lot of time and so us adults relaxed for most of it. One morning in particular will always stay with me. Amber had offered to take Anthony swimming that morning with John and Joe and Molly and Mary had gone to the spa. So I was wandering round the hotel, looking for something to do. I walked up to Sherlock and Molly's room and the door was ajar. Silently, I pushed it open. Christopher was sat in his seat on the chair and Sherlock was talking to him. I leant against the doorframe and watched.

"As ever, Holmes, you see but don't observe. To you the world remains an impenetrable mystery whereas to me it is an open book, hard logic verse romantic wit, that is your choice. You fail to connect actions to their consequences."

I smiled, trying not to laugh. Sherlock bent down.

"Now, for the last time," he said, holding up a rattle to Christopher, "If you want to keep the rattle, do not throw the rattle!"

Chris took the rattle, looked at it, then threw it back at Sherlock. It hit him right in the face. I snorted. Sherlock looked up.

"What?" he said.

"He's a baby, Dad." I said, walking in and picking up the rattle. "He's going to throw the toy. He thinks it's a brilliant game."

Chris smiled up at both of us. I handed him back the rattle. He threw it again.

"You see?"

Sherlock smiled. "You're a great mum, Abi." He said.

"No. I'm not. I'm just a mum. I look after my son to the best of my ability. I get it wrong at times but I'm just a mum."

"And that's what makes you great."

Sherlock could be a drug addicted arse sometimes, but when he was on his own, when he was his most vulnerable, his humanity shone through. It was these moments I cherished the most, these moments that I loved the most. Seeing my Dad as a human being was the greatest gift that I could ever get.

We had been in New York for about a week when we went to see Kiera perform. We hadn't seen her much. She had two shows a day most of the week but she always made time to come and see her family, especially her nieces and nephews. Anthony loved the fuss that Kiera made of him. However, most of Kiera's attention went to her twin sister Mollie. They had always been close but sixth months apart had really tested them and they just wanted to spend as much time as possible together.

Performance day came at last. We had all been dying to see Kiera perform ever since we got to New York and finally we were going to. Mycroft had spilt us into two groups so that there would be adults to tend to children during both performances. The adults with the youngest children would go to the matinee performance, and the ones with the elder children were going in the evening. Sherlock, Molly, Hamish, Sally, Sam, Claire, Johnny, Emily, Daniel, Anthony, Rory and I were all going in the afternoon. That meant that we could see Kiera and then spend most of our evening babysitting. The baby-babies weren't going so Mary had agreed to look after Chris, Toby and Elijah. The performance started at 3 so we let Anthony do what he wanted in the morning and surprise, surprise he wanted to go swimming, He was a proper little water baby! But we had a fun morning. We had lunch at 12, went for a walk in central park and then headed to the theatre. We had backstage passes so we were able to get behind the scenes and see Kiera before the show began. A stage-hand took us to the dressing room she was in. Just Daniel, Anthony and I had gone backstage- everyone else had gone to get us seats.

Kiera was sharing a room with 3 other girls who all made a fuss over the baby! Kiera introduced us. There was Amelia, Danielle and Holly. Holly was particularly lovely. She was the first friend that K had made when she had become part of the company and had made her feel welcome and wanted. Her boyfriend, Rhys, had gotten on with Matthew and kept him busy when Kiera was on stage. It seemed that the four of them had become fast friends. Mollie and James had already met them and seemed to get along alright. It was hard to judge Mollie's emotions at the moment- they were all over the place. The bell rang for the girls to get ready and we left them to it.

"She seems really happy." Said Dan, as we walked back to the auditorium.

"I know. And that's a good thing." I reminded him, touching his arm gently.

"Mummy?" asked Anthony. "Why is Daddy sad?"

Daniel took Anthony from me, "Daddy isn't sad, son, he just misses Aunty Keira a lot."

"I miss her too. No one else gives me cake!"

Dan laughed and I couldn't help myself. Keira and Anthony had a really good bond and it was obviously hard for him to be without her.

"Hey. Shall we go and watch Aunty Keira sing and dance?" Daniel asked. Anthony smiled widely and we all headed to our seats.

Mycroft hadn't been kidding. We were sat right down at the front, brilliant view. And the performance was phenomenal. The storytelling and the music worked seamlessly. We pointed out to Anthony when we could where Kiera was and at the end of the first act, Anthony stood and applauded. I wiped away tears. The final notes of 'Defying Gravity' moved me so much and seeing Anthony's overwhelming support for his aunt just tipped the iceberg. Dan gave me a quick kiss and a hug before Anthony saw.

During the interval, Sherlock, Molly, Hamish, Sally, Sam, Claire, Johnny and Emily went to see Kiera quickly and we had ice-cream.

"Mum," Anthony said, in between mouthfuls of chocolate ice cream, "Aunty Kiera is really good."

"I know." I replied, "She is a very talented person isn't she?"

He nodded. "Grandad Mike must be very proud of her."

"I'm sure Grandad Mike is, in his own way." Daniel added.

"I love my Aunty Kiera!" Anthony said suddenly.

Tears welled up in my eyes. "She loves you too. So very much. And I'm sure she is so very proud of you too."

Anthony smiled and carried on eating his ice cream, making a mess, but hey! He was a two-and-a-half-year-old boy.

"Hey!" came an American voice from behind me. "Abigail, was it?"

I turned around to see who was talking. It was Holly, the girl from the dressing room.

"Yep. Guilty as charged!" I smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"K asked me to give you this." She handed me a note. "She hopes you can join her for dinner. She's missed y'all."

"Thanks Holly, wasn't it?"

"That's me, ma'am. Holly Beauvoisin. Kansas born and bred!"

"Well, thank you, Holly and tell her we'd be delighted to join her and we've missed her too." And Holly ran off backstage.

Anthony sat on one side of me and Rory on the other. We laughed, cried and smiled our way through the second act and most of the front row was on its feet and cheering for Kiera when it came to the final curtain. You could just about make her out and she had the biggest grin on her face. It was clear to me then, that she had found her calling. Her acting and musical theatre meant as much to her as midwifery did to me. Holly was stood next to her and squeezed her hand tightly. That was true friendship and I was so very glad that she had found someone this side of the pond that she could trust and learn from.

We had a lovely dinner with Kiera and Matthew. All of us went. Daniel, Anthony, Mum, Dad, Hamish, Chris, Sally, Sam, Claire, Emily, Johnny and I. It was lovely. Kiera told us so much about her time here and the memories that she had made. She was loving America but couldn't wait to get home to England. She missed the culture, the people, winding her dad up daily. But she was ready to go home. Another few months and she would be.

Back at the hotel, we bathed the babies and put them to bed. Anthony curled up to sleep in our bed. We would move him later. Molly offered to sit and watch him as she needed to feed Christopher and Hamish was playing with Claire for a bit so Dan and I wandered down to the bar and had some time together. We must have been there a long time because before we knew it the others were coming back. We called it a night and headed to bed.

"Mum, why didn't you call us and say it was late?" I asked as we came back to the room. Molly got up and came over to me. Daniel had crossed the room to pick Anthony up and put him into his bed.

"You and Daniel needed time together and it seems to have done you good. You've got your twinkle back."

I smiled. "Thanks mum."

"Don't forget, you and Dan need time together too. Anytime you need us to babysit, you know where we are."

"Thanks mum."

"Goodnight Abi!" and she kissed me on the cheek.

"Night mum!"

"Night Mol." Said Dan, coming back into the room.

As I lay in Daniel's arms that night, I thought about the day. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Wicked! and the songs were going round in my head still. I smiled. Kiera was so at home on that stage and I knew she had a glittering career ahead of her. One day, she would be playing the principles on the West End and maybe even go into film and television.

There was no doubt about it.

Kiera was defying gravity!


	4. As Long As You're Mine

**Chapter Four- As Long as You're Mine**

The other reason we were in New York was because two certain people were getting married. Mycroft and Greg were finally tying the knot after 5 years together, two of those being engaged. Everyone was excited. Kiera managed to get the day off work to join us. The ceremony was due to start at 3 in the afternoon, followed by a reception at 7 in the evening. Mycroft's two witnesses were Sherlock and Daniel and Greg's were Sally and Phoebe. John and Johnny acted as ushers, showing everyone in and were to sit. For some of us (due to marriages) it was hard to work out where to sit. In the end, because he was my father-in-law. I ended up sitting on Mycroft's side. Anthony ran around for a bit, chasing Rory, who looked ever so sweet, dressed up in a little suit with a bow tie. I had to keep an eye on him as Mycroft and Greg were outside, waiting for the time to come in.

Once everyone was seated and settle (and I had finally got Rory and Anthony to behave), Sherlock began to play the violin which was the cue for the two groomsmen to walk in. Mycroft was wearing a black suit with a bowtie and he had a peach rose in his lapel. Greg was wearing a navy blue suit and tie but had a white rose in his lapel. They walked in hand in hand, smiling widely. I don't think I'd ever seen either of them look as happy as they did now. Wanda had already begun to cry as her eldest son walked in, accompanied to his younger brother's violin playing. I couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if Eurus, the sister, hadn't died. Would she be here today? Would she have approved of her elder brother's match? Would she play the violin too or would she sit with her parents and watch? I pushed the thoughts out from my head and watched Mycroft and Greg make their declarations.

Greg went first. "I do solemnly declare that I do not know of any lawful impediment why I, Gregory Lestrade, may not register a civil partnership with Mycroft Holmes." He paused, smiled at Mycroft then said, "I understand that on signing the Civil Partnership schedule that I, Gregory Lestrade will be forming a civil partnership with Mycroft Holmes."

Then Mycroft went, "I do solemnly declare that I do not know of any lawful impediment why I, Mycroft Holmes, may not register a civil partnership with Gregory Lestrade." He also paused and smiled at Lestrade, "I understand that on signing the Civil Partnership schedule that I, Mycroft Holmes will be forming a civil partnership with Gregory Lestrade."

They smiled at each other. Then the registrar attendant said; "I believe that Mycroft and Gregory have chosen Timothy Holmes to stand up and do a short reading for us today."

Timothy nodded, got up and turned to face us. "Seeing as Mike is such a fan of Oscar Wilde and has been trying to educated Lestrade as to that matter, I have taken a quote from the Importance of Being Earnest. And for those who don't know, when he was at school, Mike played Lady Bracknell, whom the quote is from."

He paused and looked at Mycroft, who had blushed.

"So the quote goes, _when you do become engaged to someone, I, or your father, should his health permit him, will inform you of the fact. An engagement should come on a young girl as a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant, as the case may be. It is hardly a matter that she could be allowed to arrange for herself."_

 _Mike and Greg smiled at Timothy. He took his seat again and his hand slipped into Wanda's. The registrar stood up again._

 _"_ _Thank you Timothy." She said, smiling, "I now invite Gregory and Mycroft back to the front."_

 _Mike and Greg went back to the front and turned to face each other._

 _"_ _I believe you have prepared vows yourself?" the registrar asked._

 _Mycroft and Greg nodded._

 _"_ _Who's going first?" she asked. Mycroft indicated that it was himself._

 _"_ _Like always…" muttered Sherlock. I shot him a look and he silenced instantly._

 _Ignoring Sherlock, the registrar nodded and indicated that he begin._

 _Mycroft composed himself before saying; "Gregory, when we first met, neither of us was in a good place. Both bereaved, we leant on each other for support. I have never been one for outbursts of compassion. But I believe that you make me a better person, that you… complete me as a human being. When I am with you, I am not the iceman, the cold hearted person I am in office. I enjoy your company. I want to spend the rest of my life to you, so I make you this vow; I am yours Gregory Lestrade, from this day on, forever and always. I am yours do with what you want. I am yours. I love you, now and always."_

 _I had a single tear run down my face. My hand squeezed Dan's and he looked at me, his eyes full of emotion. None of us had seen Mycroft like this, admit his feelings like this. Wanda was crying silently and Greg looked at Mycroft stunned._

 _"_ _And now Gregory." Said the registrar, who didn't seem to understand how big this moment was._

 _Greg paused for a long time, trying to compose himself. Finally, he said; "I don't quite know how to follow that, Myc but I'm going to try." He coughed. "Myc, I met you when I first consulted Sherlock with a case. You were arguing and I must admit, I thought you were a dick. But my opinion changed when Jessica died. I was in a pretty bad place, drinking heavily, not functioning. But you stepped in, you saved me. You made me Greg Lestrade again. Now I'm not Sherlock Holmes and I'm not John Watson, but I know how to love and I know how to care. And there will only be one man for me. I love you, Mycroft Holmes, iciness and all. I promise to love you, cherish you, care for you, until death us do part. Always yours, Myc, always."_

 _Everyone was silent. There was something odd about seeing Lestrade make vows to Mycroft, knowing what he was like. Sally and Johnny were crying softly, moved by their father's declaration of love for Mycroft. It had taken them a while but they had eventually come round to their dad's choice. No one could deny it now, Mycroft and Greg did love each other, very much._

 _Following the vows, Mycroft, Greg, Sherlock, Daniel, Sally and Phoebe made their way over to the table to sign the resgister. Whilst they did that, Keira and I stood at the front and sang 'Wind beneath my Wings'. It went well considering we had literally rehearsed it that minute. I loved singing with Keira, even though she was miles better than myself. I thought that Wanda couldn't cry any more than she was already but I was wrong. Everyone was moved, not just by our singing but by the amount of love that had been shown that day. And we weren't finished yet!_

 _"_ _And now we come to the giving of rings. Do you have them?"_

 _I got Rory and Hamish to stand together at the front. Rory handed one ring to Mycroft and Hamish handed the other to Greg._

 _"_ _Now Mycroft, if you could just hold out left hand and Greg if you out the ring on his finger and then said what we rehearsed."_

 _Greg slid the ring down onto Mycroft's finger and said,_ "I give you this ring/jewellery as a symbol of my love and of our Civil Partnership today."

Mycroft did the same, "I give you this ring/jewellery as a symbol of my love and of our Civil Partnership today."

The registrar the said; 'As a token of the contract into which you have entered,

these rings are given and received' _._

The two men looked at each other and smiled.

"By virtue of signing the schedule in my presence as a Registrar of Civil Partnerships, and before the witnesses, I declare that you, Mycroft Holmes, and you Gregory Lestrade, have now formed a Civil Partnership in accordance with the law." She smiled, "You may now kiss."

Greg and Mycroft kissed each other softly and we all clapped. Dan gave me a quick kiss, and I saw Mollie and James, Keira and Matthew, Sally and Johnny, Sherlock and Molly and John and Mary exchange a little kiss too. Anthony began to chase Rory again and everyone began to make their way out, throwing confetti at them. Keira caught Anthony, gave him some confetti, held him up and got him to shove it down the back of Mycroft's neck. Mike then proceeded to grab his grandson and hold him upside down, tickling him. I laughed and smiled, holding Dan's hand. Rory pulled at Greg's arm and he lifted him up in his good arm. The boy wrapped his arms round his dad's neck and kissed him. Phoebe held onto his other hand smiling as she walked between her two Dad's. Dan, Keira, Mollie, Sally and Johnny all stood together as a new family. I took Anthony off of Mike so they could all have a photo. Then the wives, husbands and boyfriends joined the group and had a photo. Then Sherlock, Timothy and Wanda stood with the newly-weds and then Molly, Hamish and Christopher joined them. Then John and Mary with Amber and Toby. They had a couple on their own and then we all joined the group, smiling widely.

The reception was being held at the hotel that we were all staying in. We had a lovely intimate meal and then came the speeches. Each of their children, bar Rory, gave a little testimony as to how happy they were and how amazed they were at Mycroft's declaration of love to Greg. Then Sherlock gave a speech in which he proceeded to insult his brother and then announce that he was in shock at the humanity that he possessed and that he did actually love his brother. Again, I found my mind wandering to Eurus, to the sister that no one knew of. Would she have said something? Would she be proud, angry, shocked? I knew I had to tell someone but I just didn't know who! And then Timothy stood up and congratulated the pair. He said that he was proud of his son and his new son-in-law. He welcomed Greg into the family and wished him luck as the Holmes bunch could be pretty mad! He wasn't wrong there.

Mycroft and Greg had their first dance to 'All This Time' by OneRepublic which Keira sang. We danced and laughed and drank our way into the early hours of the morning. It was a lovely evening and a wonderful celebration of two people's undying love for them.

Something will resonate with me though. It was something that Mycroft said during dinner. He said, "I will always be happy, Gregory, always happy, _as long as your mine._ "


	5. Finale

**Epilogue- Finale**

Abi asked me to write a little bit on the bottom of her account. So here goes.

My time in America was the best of my life. I found out about a whole other culture, a different way of life. I was educated in the way of the theatre in a different way to I am used to back at home. I made some amazing friends that I will stay in touch with for the rest of my life. In fact, Holly has agreed to come over to England to spend Christmas with us.

But as amazing as all of that was, all the lessons I learnt, all the fun I had, nothing, _nothing,_ will compare to seeing my dad get married. My dad is a cold and heartless man; he is very hard to love. In all my life, I never seen him make any declaration of love to anyone, not even Uncle Sherlock. It's as if he's unwilling to allow himself to be loved, as if every time he does, he gets hurt. This seems odd as he came from a loving family, from a brother who worshipped him, from parents who loved him. Mycroft Holmes, the iceman no more. Watching him make that promise, that vow to Greg reduced me to tears. My dad is a different man because of Inspector Lestrade and that is something that I will never forget. Not for as long as I live.

Being back at home is great. I missed my life here, I missed my family. And now I'm back and surrounded by both.

Who knows what's next? Who knows what's coming? Maybe an east wind? Maybe a storm? Maybe something joyous? Who knows? All I know is that I will live my life to the full. Full of hope and joy and expectancy. With my family right by my side.

I've been Keira Holmes. Thank you for sharing my story. Thank you for this finale!


End file.
